40 Rose Chafer

Cetonia aurata

Characteristics

Length: 0.67–0.79 in (17–20 mm).

Flight season: May–October.

Nectar source: Dog rose, brambles.

Habitat: Scrub, meadows, gardens.

The rose chafer lives unseen for most of its life. For two years, it is an unattractive cream-coloured grub, burrowing its way through rotting timber or compost. There, it plays a useful role as a detritivore, recycling the decaying vegetation. After metamorphosis, it spends the following winter as a pupa, then undergoes its final transformation to a brilliantly iridescent, fast-flying beetle. The wing covers, head, and thorax are metallic copper-green, with some fine creamy-white streaks on the covers.

Its coloration makes this insect hard to spot on leaves but very obvious on the petals of a dog rose or bramble flower, where it may be seen feeding on pollen or nectar—or mating—on warm, sunny days. After mating, females lay eggs in rotting wood. Adults live for six to twelve months. Another rose chafer is native to North America, but that is a duller green in colour.